Friendship Rock(et)s
by Kalira69
Summary: Papa Shirogane has a fun project for Takashi and Keith to try. (kid!fic; written for Sheith Month, Day 20)


Written for Day 20 of Sheith Month: Rocket.

I don't even normally write kid!fic. I don't know. I blame my friend M. (She's used to it, and she wrote some adorable Sheith kid!fic recently, so it's totally reasonable.) There's some minor kid ouch in this but it is indeed super minor.

* * *

"Keith!"

Keith jumps and stumbles backwards as his name is shouted - it's a happy cry, though, this time, unusually - from almost directly in front of him.

"Uhm, hi 'Kashi." Keith smiles tentatively, still not entirely used to his friend's overwhelming glee at just seeing him.

Takashi's grin only widens, and he grabs Keith's hand and squeezes. "You hafta come home with me right after school today!" he says eagerly, bouncing.

Keith's smile steadies, and he ducks his head. "Okay." he promises easily. Going home with Takashi is his _favourite_.

"Great!" Takashi says brightly. No one has ever been _so happy_ to spend time with Keith, that he can remember, and it makes him feel like he's swallowed bubbles. "It's going to be _so fun_ \- Papa says we can make a model rocket and it'll _actually be able to fly_ and everything! A real rocket, only little!"

Keith perks up. "Really?" he asks eagerly. Takashi's Papa is nice, and when Keith stays the night he lets them stay up late to look at the stars, and he quizzes them about space. Last week when Keith's foster brother smashed his science project, Takashi had told his Papa, and he had helped Keith rebuild it himself, so he could get it done in time. But a _real rocket_ is. . .

" _Really!_ " Takashi says, bouncing. "It's going to be great!" he says again.

Keith nods. "That's really cool! Thanks." he adds shyly.

Takashi jumps forwards and wraps his arms around Keith's ribs, squeezing. "It wouldn't be so fun without you." he says, then pulls back, grinning. "Remember! Right after school!" he says again, eyes wide and earnest.

Keith smiles and nods and promises, and then Takashi has to run, because his school is down the street, and the bell there will be ringing soon. Keith remembers, though, and he has to try _really hard_ to focus on his classes for the day.

* * *

After school Keith walks down the street by himself to wait outside Takashi's school, but he finds that Takashi's Papa was already there, even though it is early. He pats Keith's head lightly, and Keith stops there by him so they can wait together. Takashi's Papa asks him about his schoolwork, and Keith ducks his head, not used to it, but answers tentatively all the same.

When the bell rings and Takashi's class spills out of his school, he comes running right to them, hugging his Papa and then grabbing Keith's hand. Keith grins and squeezes back, and Takashi's Papa shoos them ahead of him for the walk to Takashi's house.

Takashi's Papa laughs but holds them back when they start to run straight out to the backyard where the supplies for the rocket are waiting, making them sit down and have a snack first. Then he talks them through how to build the rocket, gives them a diagram he drew for them, and laughs a little as he lets them chase him off to do it _all by themselves_.

"Let me know when you're finished so I can help you set it off safely, okay boys?" Takashi's Papa says, but he goes back inside and lets them work on it by themselves.

It's fun, putting the pieces together, even if they mess up and have to undo things a few times. Takashi is good at figuring out how the pieces work together, but Keith is better at puzzles, and the diagram is just like a puzzle, so sometimes he nudges Takashi until he figures out what he's doing wrong and ducks his head shyly, turning another piece over to Keith. Keith grins at him, showing him how the 'puzzle' fits together.

It takes a while, but soon they have the rocket constructed and it looks just like Keith thinks it should - it looks like a proper little rocket. Keith grins and slouches back, leaning on his hands, while Takashi jumps to his feet and bounces with glee.

Keith giggles, and Takashi turns that blinding grin on him. Keith returns it as best he can, though he doesn't know anyone who smiles like Takashi.

Takashi runs off, and Keith straightens, looking after him, but he's back before Keith can get up to follow. "Come on, let's see it fly!" Takashi says, scooping up the rocket. Keith nods, getting up and following after him as he carries it to the concrete patch towards the back of the yard.

They kneel beside the rocket and Keith watches Takashi carefully strike a match and bring it to the rocket's fuse. They both lean back a little, ready to sit back and watch it, as the fuse catches light, spitting sparks. They're not spitting from where they _should_ be, though, but the other side. . .

"'Kashi! Careful!" Keith grabs Takashi's hand away from the rocket, and flinches as the sparks he saw beginning to catch plume outwards and sear across his knuckles.

"Keith?" Takashi says uncertainly, then his fingers twitch and Keith lets go slowly, his own fingers twinging as he moves them. "Keith! Are you okay?" His eyes are wide, and he looks distressed, so Keith smiles at him, because that usually helps.

"I'm okay." he promises. "You lit it on the wrong side I think." It's a guess, because of the way the sparks had flown. They could have put something together wrong entirely. The rocket has tipped over on the concrete and the sparks are dying out again slowly.

"Papa!" Takashi yells, and Keith frowns, surprised. He wraps his hands around Keith's wrist and hand carefully and calls again, but Takashi's Papa comes out only a few moments later. "Keith hurt himself." Takashi says, upset.

"You were going to burn yourself." Keith objects, scowling at him.

"But you-"

"Okay!" Takashi's Papa says, gently clasping Keith's hand and looking at his fingers. "This isn't too bad," he smiles at Keith, "but come inside so that I can take care of it, Keith. And then _I'll_ light the rocket for you. Takashi," he gives Takashi a firm look as he walks them inside, "I told you to wait for me. I didn't want you to get hurt, either of you, and now Keith has."

Takashi droops under the mild scold, and then even more as his Papa dabs a cool cream on Keith's red knuckles, and Keith reaches out and grabs his friend's hand with his free one. "It's okay." he says, hoping to make the sad face go away. It doesn't hurt that badly and he hates it when Takashi looks sad.

"I'm sure it will be more okay after ice cream." Takashi's Papa says, and tweaks Keith's nose, making him startle. "Shall we get some before we shoot the rocket?" he asks as he tapes a bandage over Keith's hand.

Keith nods tentatively, and Takashi squeezes his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to get hurt." he says softly, and Keith blinks at him. Takashi would never mean for him to get hurt - Takashi would never mean for _anybody_ to get hurt, but especially not Keith.

He hugs his friend awkwardly. "It's okay." he says again, as Takashi hugs him back. "I didn't want _you_ to get hurt."

* * *

So what I told my friend M while I was writing this/when I finished was: 'bb!Keith apparently _also_ has hardly any settings below 'turn it up to 11', and he is apparently still kind of broken, oops. And he still loves his 'Kashi more than anything. He's still Keith, basically, is what I'm saying.' XD


End file.
